Method for automatically leveling a farm implement

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for automating some of the tasks that heretofore required operator action at headland turns or similar events are provided. The present invention automates operation of lift assist wheels and/or gull wings, such as those found on a stack-fold implement, based on the position of the tractor hitch to which the implement is coupled. An operator may control the position of the implement, such as at a headland turn, by raising and lowering the tractor hitch using a remote control. The invention enables the planter to compare the tractor hitch position relative to an implement position and control operation of the implement accordingly without additional user inputs.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a divisional of application Ser. No.13/248,865 filed Sep. 29, 2011.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to farm implements and, moreparticularly, to a method and apparatus for remotely controlling thehydraulics of a tractor or other implement towing vehicle.

Increasingly, farm implements have been designed to have frames that canbe folded between field-working and transport positions. One such typeof farm implement is a stack-fold planter, such as the 1230 Stackerbarplanter from Case New Holland, LLC, Stack-fold planters generallyconsist of a center frame section and a pair of wing frame sections. Inthe field-working position, the wing frame sections are evenly alignedwith the center frame section. In the transport position, however, thewing sections are lifted to a position directly above the center framesection, i.e., to a “stacked” position. In the stacked position, thewidth of the implement is generally that of the center frame section,thus making the implement better suited for transport along roads andbetween crops.

Openers are mounted to the frame sections at equal intervals, with eachof the wing sections typically carrying one-half the number of openersmounted to the center frame section. The openers are designed to a cut afurrow into a planting surface, deposit seed and/or fertilizer into thefurrow, and then pack the furrow. In this regard, each opener will havea seed box that is manually loaded with seed and/or fertilizer. Sincethe size of the seed box determines how much particulate matter the boxcan retain, there is generally a desire to have larger seed boxes foreach of the openers. Since the larger seed boxes can hold more material,fewer refilling stops are needed when planting a field.

Larger seed boxes, however, have drawbacks. The additional material thatcan be carried by larger seed boxes adds to the overall weight of theopeners, including those mounted to the wing sections. This additionalweight can stress the lifting/lowering system that stacks the wingsections, or require a more robust system, which can add to the overallsize, mass, complexity, and cost of the implement. Larger spacingbetween seed trenches lower per acre crop yields. Further, it can beproblematic and time consuming to individually fill each of the seedboxes, whether using bags or a conveyor system.

Accordingly, bulk fill systems have been designed for stack-foldplanters that generally consist of one or more bulk fill tanks mountedto a frame or toolbar that can be coupled to the frame of the stack-foldplanter. The frame for the bulk fill system is supported above theground by a lift wheel assembly that is designed to raise the frame whenthe stack-fold planter is in transport. Oftentimes, an operator willalso raise the bulk fill system frame at headland turns when the gullwings are also raised to provide additional implement stability.

Raising the gull wings and the frame for the bulk fill hopper(s) atheadland turns poses one of the challenges that is faced by an operatorwhen making a headland turn onto a new swath. More particularly, as theoperator of a planter arrives at the headland of a field, the operatorhas to perform numerous tasks to reposition the planter in the nextswath. Many of these tasks require the operator to attempt simultaneouscontrol of three or more operations. For stack-fold planters equippedwith lift assist wheels and/or gull wings, the operator needs to)retract the gull wings to prevent the wings from drooping when liftedfrom the ground, elevate the three-point hitch that connects thestack-fold planter to the towing vehicle, e.g., tractor, and extend thelift wheel assembly to raise the bulk fill system. The operator willalso need to slow the tractor by shifting and/or reducing engine speed.By requiring the operator to perform these tasks substantiallysimultaneously, the operator can become mentally and physicallyfatigued, require an enhanced skill level to operate the stack-foldplanter, increase the likelihood that the operator may make an error, orreduce the performance of the stack-fold planter at headland turns.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus forautomating some of the tasks that heretofore required operator action atheadland turns or similar events. For example, in one embodiment, thepresent invention automates operation of lift assist wheels and/or gullwings, such as those found on a stack-fold implement, based on theposition of the tractor hitch to which the implement is coupled.Accordingly, an operator may control the position of the implement, suchas at a headland turn, by raising and lowering the tractor hitch using aconventional remote control. The invention enables the planter tocompare the tractor hitch position relative to an implement position andcontrol operation of the implement accordingly without additional userinputs.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a farm implement has atoolbar configured to be coupled to a towing vehicle and a bulk fillhopper mounted to a frame that is supported by a lift wheel assembly.The farm implement further has a connector for coupling the toolbar to ahitch of the towing vehicle. A first electrical input receives a hitchposition signal from the towing vehicle and a second electrical inputreceives a frame position signal. The implement further has anelectronic control unit (ECU) that receives the hitch position and theframe position signals and automatically activates the lift wheelassembly to maintain the frame in a level position as the verticalposition of the connector changes.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a farm implementhaving a frame supported by a lift wheel assembly comprises a connectorfor coupling the toolbar to the ISOBUS hitch of a towing vehicle, afirst electrical input that receives a hitch position signal from thetractor, an electric over hydraulic valve that controls hydraulic fluidflow from the hydraulic system to the lift wheel assembly, and anelectronic control unit (ECU). The ECU receives the hitch positionsignal and provides a command signal to the electric over hydraulicvalve to control hydraulic fluid flow in the hydraulic system to raisethe frame when the hitch is in a raised position.

The present invention is also embodied in a method for automaticallyleveling a farm implement having a frame and being towed by a tractorthat is coupled to the farm implement by a hitch. The method, which ispreferably carried out automatically using various electronics, includesreceiving a hitch position signal from the tractor and receiving a frameposition signal from a sensor that detects a position of the frame. Themethod further includes the step of automatically raising or loweringthe frame in response to changes in hitch position of the tractor.

Other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription and accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however,that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicatingpreferred embodiments of the present invention, are given by way ofillustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications maybe made within the scope of the present invention without departing fromthe spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent likeparts throughout.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of an agricultural planting system comprisedof a stack-fold planter coupled to a tractor;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the stack-fold planter of FIG. 1 in afield-working (float) position;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of the stack-fold planter of FIG. 1 in astacked, transport position;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the central bulk fill system of FIG. 1 ina lowered, field working position;

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a hydraulic control systemaccording to one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a hydraulic control systemaccording to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As will be made apparent from the following description, the presentinvention provides an apparatus that automatically adjusts the positionof an implement in response to changes in the position of the hitch of atractor towing the implement. For purposes of description, the inventionwill be described with respect to a stack-fold planter, such as thatshown in FIGS. 1-4, but it is understood that the invention isapplicable with other types of implements. The invention, which can alsobe embodied in an automated method, is designed to reduce the number ofuser inputs that were heretofore required to command movements of theimplement, such as at headland turns.

Turning now to FIGS. 1-4, a planting system 10 includes a stack-foldimplement 12, shown in a field working position, coupled to a primemover 14, e.g., tractor, in a known manner. For purposes ofillustration, the stack-fold implement 12 is a row crop planter, whichas shown in FIG. 2, includes a frame 16 generally comprised of a centersection 18 and wing sections 20, 22 on opposite lateral sides of thecenter section. The center section 18 includes a tongue (not shown) thatextends forwardly of the center section 18 for hitching the implement 12to the prime mover 14. As will be described more fully below, theimplement 12 is coupled to a three-point hitch of the prime mover 14.Gauge wheels 24 on the frame sections 18, 20, and 22 set the seeding orcutting depth for the implement.

In the illustrated embodiment, sixteen openers 26 are mounted to theframe 16 at equally spaced intervals, but it is understood that morethan or fewer than sixteen openers could be mounted to the frame 16. Asknown in the art, the wing sections 20, 22 may be raised to a transportposition, as shown in FIG. 3, in which the openers carried by the wingsections 20, 22 are stacked over the center section 18. As also known inthe art, the openers 26 are designed to cut a furrow into the soil,deposit seed and/or fertilizer into the furrow, and then pack thefurrow. Seed boxes or “mini-hoppers” 28 are optionally mounted to eachof the openers 26. The mini-hoppers 28 are preferably smaller thanconventional mini-hoppers used with stack-fold crop row planters andthus hold less material than conventional seed boxes.

The smaller mini-hoppers are flow-coupled to a central bulk fillassembly 30 that delivers material, such as seed and/or fertilizer, tothe openers 26 and/or the mini-hoppers 28. The central bulk fillassembly 30 preferably includes a pair of bulk fill hoppers 32 and 34supported adjacently to one another on a frame 36. The frame 36 iscoupled to the center section 18 by a set of rearwardly extending framemembers 38, 40, and 42 connected to a crossbar 44. In a preferredembodiment, the frame members 38, 40, 42 are removably coupled to centerframe section 18 which allows the bulk fill assembly 30 to be removedfrom the implement 12 or added as an after-market add-on to an existingstack-fold implement.

The frame 36 is supported above the work surface (or transport surface)by a pair of wheels 46, 48 that are each connected to the frame by awheel lift assembly 50, which in the illustrated embodiment includes apair of parallel linkages 52, 54. Each linkage includes upper links 56,58 and lower link 60, 62, respectively. In addition to the links 56-62,a pair of lift arms 64, 66 are provided. Lift arm 64 is coupled to framemember 42 at a knuckle 68 to which parallel linkage 52 is alsoconnected. In a similar manner, lift arm 66 is coupled to frame member38 at a knuckle 70 to which parallel linkage 54 is also connected. Asshown particularly in FIG. 4, the frame 36 further includes a Y-beam 72that is pivotally coupled to the center frame member 40. As is customaryfor most central bulk fill assemblies, an air blower 74 is mountedbeneath the bulk fill hoppers and is operable transfer particulatematter from the hoppers 32, 34 to the individual mini-hoppers 28 ordirectly to the openers 26 in a forced air stream.

As known in the art, central bulk fill hoppers, such as those describedabove, provide the convenience of a central fill location rather thanhaving to fill the individual seed boxes. Also, the central fill hoppershave greater capacity than the seed boxes, which reduces the number offill iterations that must be taken when planting. Simply mounting acentral bulk fill assembly to a stack-fold planter, such as planter 12,can create stability issues, especially when the stack-told planter isin the transport position. In this regard, the present inventionprovides a mechanism for raising the bulk fill assembly 30 when thestack-fold planter 10 is in the folded, transport position. Raising thebulk assembly 30 provides greater stability during transport as wellprovides increased clearance between the hulk fill assembly 30 and theroadway.

A pair of hydraulic lift cylinders 76 and 78 are operable for liftingthe frame 36, and thus the bulk fill assembly 30. Cylinder 76 isinterconnected between forward knuckle 68 and a rearward knuckle 80. Asshown in FIG. 4, the rearward knuckle 74 includes, or is coupled to, amounting arm 82 that is coupled to axle 84 about which wheel 46 rotates.Cylinder 76 includes a ram 86 that is coupled to the rearward knuckle 80whereas cylinder 76 is coupled to the forward knuckle 68. In a similarfashion, cylinder 78 includes a ram 88 connected to a rearward knuckle90 whereas the cylinder 78 is connected to the forward knuckle 70. Itwill be appreciated that a mounting arm 92 is connected to, or formedwith, the rearward knuckle 90, and the mounting arm 92 is connected toan axle (not shown) about which wheel 48 rotates.

As known in the art, central bulk fill hoppers, such as those describedabove, provide the convenience of a central fill location rather thanhaving to fill the individual seed boxes. Also, the central fill hoppershave greater capacity than the seed boxes, which reduces the number offill iterations that must be taken when planting. Simply mounting acentral bulk fill assembly to a stack-fold planter, such as planter 12,can create stability issues, especially when the stack-fold planter isin the transport position. In this regard, the present inventionprovides a mechanism for raising the bulk fill assembly 30 when thestack-fold planter 10 is in the folded, transport position. Raising thebulk assembly 30 provides greater stability during transport as wellprovides increased clearance between the bulk fill assembly 30 and theroadway.

Turning now to FIG. 5, the present invention provides a communicationsapparatus 94 for use with a prime mover equipped with ISO 11783technology. The communications apparatus 94 includes datalink 96 thatcommunicatively links an implement electronic control unit (ECU) 98 withelectronics 100 of the prime mover 14. The datalink 96 may be a wirelessconnection or, as shown in FIG. 5, a wired communication consisting aconnector 102 tethered by cable 104 to the electronics 100 and areceiver 106 tethered by cable 108 to ECU 98. In a preferred embodiment,the connector 102 and the receiver 106 are ISO 11783 components thatpermit the transfer of data between the prime mover electronics 100 andthe ECU 98. Thus, it will be appreciated that the datalink 96 providesan ISOBUS connection between the prime mover 14 and the stack-foldimplement 12.

The ISOBUS connection enables the transmission of various data betweenthe stack-fold implement 12 and prime mover 14. One type of data ishitch position information. The prime mover 14 has a hitch positionsensor 110 that provides feedback to the electronics 100 of the primemover 14 as to the vertical position of the coupling between thestack-fold implement 12 and the prime mover 14. In one embodiment, thiscoupling is a three-point hitch. The prime mover electronics 100provides a data signal to the ECU 98 via datalink 96 containing hitchposition information. In accordance with one aspect of the invention,the ECU 98 adjusts the vertical position of the stack-fold implement 12accordingly.

More particularly, the stack-fold implement 12 has a frame positionsensor 112 that measures the vertical position of the central bulk fillassembly 30. In one preferred embodiment, the vertical position isdetermined from the angle between frame 36 and the wheel lift assembly50. It is contemplated that a number of sensors may be used to measurethis angle including, but not limited to, rotary potentiometers,displacement sensors, optical sensors, strain gauges, pressure sensors,and the like. For example, in one embodiment, the frame position sensor112 measures the displacement of either hydraulic lilt cylinder 76 orhydraulic lift cylinder 78.

The ECU 98 receives the frame position signal from the frame positionsensor 112 and compares the frame position of the stack-fold implement12 with the vertical position of the hitch, as provided in the hitchposition signal. From this comparison, the ECU 98 raises or lowers thecentral bulk fill assembly 30 to level the central bulk fill assembly 30in light of the changes in vertical position of the prime mover hitch.

In one embodiment of the invention, the central bulk fill assembly 30 israised or lowered by ECU 98 controlling operation of an electric overhydraulic valve 114. The hydraulic valve 114 is interconnected betweenthe hydraulics 115 of the prime mover 14 and the hydraulics of thestack-fold implement 12, which include the pair of hydraulic liftcylinders 76, 78. Thus, the hydraulic valve 114, upon receipt of acorresponding command signal from the ECU 98, can increase or decreasethe pressure in the pair of hydraulic lift cylinders 76, 78 to raise orlower, respectively, the central bulk fill assembly 30. It is highlydesirable to increase the elevation of the central bulk fill assembly 30when the hitch is raised and, conversely, lower the elevation when thehitch is lowered.

In a further embodiment of the invention, also shown schematically inFIG. 5, the wing sections 20, 22 are moved automatically based on thevertical position of the three-point hitch. As known in the art, thehydraulic components, including lift actuators 116, 118 are used toraise and lower the left wing section 22 (“left side gull wing”) and theright wing section 20 (“right side gull wing”), respectively. In thisfurther embodiment, the ECU 98 also provides command signals to the leftand right lift actuators, which can be of conventional design. In apreferred embodiment, the lift actuators are hydraulic cylinders whoseoperation is controlled by a valve, such as hydraulic valve 114. Assuch, the ECU 98 provides control commands to the hydraulic valve 114which in turn controls operation of the lift actuators preferably insynchrony with the wheel lift assembly 50.

It will be appreciated that the wing sections are movable between afield working position, such as illustrated in FIG. 2 and a retracted orraised position, such as illustrated in FIG. 3. In the field workingposition, the wing sections (as well as the center section) are free tofloat so to respond to changes in surface contours. In this regard, theECU 98 commands the electric over hydraulic valve 114 to controlhydraulic fluid flow in the hydraulic system to move the wing sectionsto the float position when the hitch is in a fully lowered position.

It will also be appreciated that in the embodiment illustrated in FIG.5, the operator of the tractor, i.e., towing vehicle, using conventionalhydraulic remotes, pressurizes the tractor's hydraulic system to whichthe hydraulics of the implement are flow-coupled and thus alsopressurized. As such, the operator must manually operate the hydraulicremotes to supply the hydraulic power needed to operate the liftactuators for the gull wings and the central bulk fill assembly.

In contrast, and referring now to FIG. 6, a communications apparatus 120according to an alternate embodiment of the invention controls operationof the hydraulic remotes automatically, i.e., uses the tractorhydraulics 122 to directly control operation of the wheel lift assembly50 and the lift actuators 116, 118 rather than control anelectronic-over-hydraulic valve 114. More particularly, the hitchposition sensor 110 provides hitch position data to the implement ECU 98across ISOBUS connection 96. The implement ECU 98 uses the hitchposition information together with frame position data read from theframe position sensor 112 and provides control commands to the hydraulicremote(s) 124, which are connected to the tractor hydraulics 122 in aknown manner. The tractor hydraulics are flow-coupled to the actuatorsof the wheel lift assembly 50 and the lift actuators 116, 118. It isunderstood that the actuators could be independently flow coupled to thetractor hydraulics, but preferably, a single supply conduit 126 andreturn conduit 128 that are coupled to a manifold 130 or similardistribution device to which the actuators for the wheel assembly andthe lift actuators are flow coupled in a conventional manner. It willthus be appreciated that in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, theimplement controls the hydraulics of the tractor based on commandstransmitted to the tractor via the ISOBUS connection.

It will be appreciated that in one embodiment of the invention, theposition of the tractor hitch is used to adjust the vertical position ofthe implement frame. It is understood however that in anotherembodiment, the vertical position of the implement frame could bemonitored to cause automatic adjustment of the tractor hitch.

Many changes and modifications could be made to the invention withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof. The scope of these changes willbecome apparent from the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for automatically leveling a farmimplement having a frame and a pair of gull wings pivotally coupled tothe frame, and being towed by a tractor that is coupled to the farmimplement by a hitch and has a hydraulic system controllable by at leastone hydraulic remote, comprising: receiving a hitch position signal fromthe tractor with an electronic control unit (ECU); receiving a frameposition signal with the ECU from a sensor that detects a position ofthe frame; and operatively connecting the ECU to the hydraulic system,the ECU being configured to provide operational commands to thehydraulic remote of the tractor based on the hitch position signal andthe frame position signal to automatically raise and lower the frame inresponse to changes in hitch position of the tractor.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein providing the operational commands includes transmittingcommands to the hydraulic remote of the tractor via an ISOBUSconnection.
 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising providing ago-to-float command signal to the remotes of the tractor when the hitchposition signal indicates that the hitch is in a fully lowered position,and wherein the go-to-float command signal commands the remotes to allowthe pair of gull wings to float so as to respond to changes in fieldcontours.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providingoperational commands to the hydraulic remote of the tractor based on thehitch position signal and the frame position signal to automaticallyraise and lower the pair of gull wings in response to changes in hitchposition of the tractor.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprisingautomatically placing the pair of gull wings in a float position whenthe hitch of the tractor is in a fully lowered position.
 6. The methodof claim 5 wherein the frame supports a bulk fill hopper, and furthercomprising automatically raising and lowering the frame to maintain thebulk fill hopper in a level position.